Light reflectors for elongated post-like members



Aug' 23, 1956 G` H. ACKERMAN 3,267,805

LIGHT REFLECTORS FOR ELONGATED POST-LIKE MEMBERS Filed Feb. 2l, 1962GEORGE H. ACKERMAN FIG.5 .-BY; lp

ATTORNEY United States Patent O 3,267,805 LIGHT REFLECTQRS FOR ELONGATEDPOST-LIKE MEMBERS George H. Ackerman, Webster Groves, Mo., assignor toMissouri Rolling Mill Corporation, St. Louis, Mo., a corporation ofMissouri Filed Feb. 21, 1962, Ser. No. 174,866 6 Claims. (Cl. 88-82)This invention relates in general to certain new and useful improvementsin light reflectors for elongated postlike members and, moreparticularly, to a reective cap adapted for disposition upon steel fenceposts or similar elongated post-like members.

Along the less traveled roads in rural areas, many landowners desire todelineate the marginal lines of the roadways for the safety of thetraffic using such roads and for the further reason that occasionally adriver will accidentally veer olf the road and tear down a .section ofroadside fencing. Apart from the hazards to the occupants of a vehicleunder such circumstances, the replacement of the fence is both costlyand ltime consuming. In addition to this, many farmers and otherlandowners who erect lines of fencing along a road have a certain senseyof pride in the .fencing and derive an aesthetic satisfaction fromattaching to the fencing some means for reflecting light at night fromthe headlights of passing vehicles so that the line of fencing will besharply delineated.

Some efforts have been made to achieve these -results by dipping theupper end o-f a farm fence post to similar device, to a depth of severalinches, in phosphorescent or luminescent paint, but the optical resultsachieved in this manner have not been wholly satisfactory. Such paintmaterials do not weather particularly well and soon lose lightreflective properties. Moreover, most farmers and landowners have nointerest in using reflectorized fence posts on the interior boundariesof their land, but rather, merely use such reectorized fence posts alongthe portion of their land which borders `on a road or highway. O-fcourse, a great many farmers do not wish to use rellectorized postsunder anyk circumstances. Consequently, the farm supply dealers whohandle fencing, fence posts, and similar materials are called upon tostock both types of fence posts and this creates an undesirableinventory problem, inasmuch as steel fence ports are relatively lowpriced and bulky.

The dipping of the top of the fence posts in a light reflective paintmaterial is also unsatisfactory for the reason that steel fence postsmust be driven into the ground either with a Sledge-hammer or a toolknown as a fence-post driver. Both the Sledge-hammer and fencepostdriver strike forceably against the top of the posts and batter thelight reective paint materials with which the upper end of such fenceposts may be coated. This breaks the lilm and accelerates the damageresulting from weathering.

It is, therefore, the primary object of the present invention to providea light reflective device which can be applied to farm fence posts and,more particularly, 'fence posts of the so-called studded-T type whichdevice is simple, economical, and optically ellicient.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a lightreective device in the nature of a cap which can be slipped over therupper end of a fence post after the fence post is driven and the fencefully installed, thereby making it possible to reilectorize existinglines of fencing or newly installed lines f fencing in any desiredmanner.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide a lightreflective device of the type stated which will seat itself rmly and ina substantially Weather tight manner upon the upper end of the fencepost.

Patented August 23, 1966 It is an additional object of the presentinvention to provide a light reflective device of the type stated whichwill fit snugly upon the upper end of a studded-T fence post regardlessof the positions of the studs with respect to the upper end of the post.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a lightreflective device -of the type stated which the dealer or supply housecan stock readily in any desired quantity, and possibly in any desiredrange of colors, without having to change or increase the regularinventory of fence posts.

With the above and other objects in view, my invention resides in thenovel :features of form, construction, arrangement, and combination ofparts presently described and pointed out in the claims.

In t-he accompanying drawing- FIG. l is a fragmentary perspective viewof the upper end of a studded-T fence post equipped with a lightreilective cap constructed in accordance with and embodying the presentinvention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken i along line 2 2of FIG. 1;

FIGS. 3, 4, .and 5 are transverse sectional views taken alcig lines 3 3,4 4, and 5 5, respectively, of FIG. 2; an

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along line 6 6 of FIG. 2.

Referring now in more detail and by reference characters to the drawingswhich illustrate 1a preferred embodiment of the p-resent invention, Adesignates `a studded- T fence post of the conventional type whichintegrally includes a web 1 and an outwardly presented flange 2 whichextends symmetrically across the web 1 so that the fence post thas across-sectional shape somewhat resemfbling a T. Formed integrally alongthe central portion of the web 1 and projecting outwardly from theforwardly presented face thereof is a uniformly spaced series of studs 3having somewhat trapezoidal shape. This type of fence post must berolled with a long continuous section :from hot bars Iof steel and then,while still relatively hot, cut to length in a guillotine shear.Obviously, it is impossible to maintain an extremely high degree ofaccuracy or tolerance. Indeed, considering the low price at which farmfence posts must be produced and the circumstances of use thereof, it isentirely unnecessary to maintain tolerance more accurate thanplus-or-minus one inch. In addition to this, the various lengths inwhich farm fence posts are customarily sold are not convenient happen tobe running. This is :a common and accepted characeristic `of thestudded-T fence post and in no way impairs the usefulness or commercialacceptability of the product. However, it is a fact that, in any groupof studded-T fence posts of the same length, the distance between thetop of the fence post and the rst full stud may vary considerably.

Provided for disposition upon the upper end of the fence post A is a capB which is preferably molded from a polyvinyl plastisol or other similarsynthetic resin of somewhat rubbery consistency, having across-sectional shape substantially similar to the cross-sectional shapeof the fence post A so that it will lit telescopically thereon andsnugly envelope the upper end thereof. Thus, the cap B integrallyincludes a web-encasing portion 4 and a flange encasing portion 5integrally .connected across the top by a top closure-wall 6. Formed inand projecting forwardly from the ange encasing portion 5 is anelongated channel-like portion 7 which extends Ifrom the topclosure-wall 6 downwardly and terminates a short distance above thelower transverse margin 8 of the cap B. Internally the channel-likeportion 7 is shaped so as'to fit snugly around and encase the studs 3,and it is of sufficient length so as to encase at Ileast the first fullstud 3 at the upper end of the :fence post A, all .as best seen in FIG.2. Below the channel-like portion 7, the cap B is of such shape that itwill snu-gly engage the outwardly presented surfaces of the fence post Aaround the entire cross-sectional perimeter thereof, substantially asshown in FIG. 5, thereby materially protecting the upper end of thefence post A from theweather.

Embedded in the outer surface of the cap B are tiny light refiectiveglass beads b which preferably are cornpletely contiguous so that asubstantial portion or even the entire outer surface of the cap B ispreferably studded with them. These beads b will protrude slightly abovethe normal level of the surface of the cap B so as to act as a myriad oftiny light refiectors in such surface. In normal daylight, the basiccolor of the plastic from which the cap B is fabricated will be visible,but at night, the beads will become highly efficient optical elementswhen exy posed to the incident rays of light emanating from anautomobile headlight. Consequently, the rays of light from the headlightwill be very efficiently reflected back to the view of the driver oversubstantially long distances. If desired, the synthetic resin from whichthe cap B is fabricated can be clear and transparent or it can bepigmente'd in various colors such as orange, yellow, red, and the like.As long as the surface thereof is studded with vtiny glass beads, thecap B will be an efficient light reflector by night. If the cap B ismade of clear resin, it will, during the daytime, take on the color withwhich the fence post is painted, or if made of pigmented resin, willpossess its own independent color. Of course, on sunny days, when thesuns rays strike the cap B at the proper angle, it will also refiectlight very much in the same manner as it reflects light from automobileheadlights at night.

In use, a farmer or landowner can slip a plurality of caps on the upperends of the fence posts in la line of fencing along a road or highwayonce the fence has been installed. This can be done very quickly andconveniently, and the caps B will not only protect the upper ends of thefence posts from weathering, but will also retain light reflectiveproperties for many years and, in fact, will ontlast the fence postitself. Because the cap B is made of somewhat rubbery consistency, itWill hug the upper end of the fence post tightly and securely so that itcan not be readily removed either accidentally or by vandals, once ithas been firmly pressed down in place. Thereafter, the cap B will expandand contract with the fence post as it is subjected to extremes of heatand cold resulting from changes in the weather, and will not tend tocrack, blister, or peel off, as is the case with applied paintmaterials.

It should be understood that changes and modifications in the form,construction, arrangement, and combination of the several parts of thelight reflective device may be made and substituted for those hereinshown and described without departing from the nature and principle ofmy invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent is:

1. For use with T-shaped fence posts and similar structural membersadapted to extend upwardly from the ground and terminate in asubstantially free upper end portion, said T-shaped fence posts havingan upper surface and a series of studs spaced downwardly at equalintervals from the upper surface, the distance from the upper surface tothe first full stud varying between different T-shaped fence posts; aflexible resilient hollow cap having a downwardly presented T-shapedbottom-opening -and a closed top, said -cap also having a plurality ofside walls marginally connected to form the T-shaped bottom opening,said side walls being contoured to fit snugly and conformably aroundsaid upper end portion, said cap further having an outwardly projectingaxially elongated chamber which opens inwardly to the hollow interior ofsaid cap for accommodating the studs and for retentively engaging saidupper end portion to prevent unauthorized removal of the cap from thepost, said axially elongated chamber having a vertical length sufficientto cover the first full stud irrespective of its distance from the uppersurface, and a myriad of minute light refiective elements being embeddedin the outwardly presented surface of at least one of the side walls.

2. For use with T-shaped fence posts and similar T- shaped structuralmembers adapted to extend upwardly from the ground and terminate in asubstantially free upper end portion, said T-shaped fence posts havingan upper surface and a series of studs spaced downwardly at equalintervals from the upper surface, the distance from the upper surface tothe first full stud varying between different T-shaped fence posts; afiexible resilient hollow cap having a downwardly presented T-shapedbottomopening and a closed top, said cap also having a plurality of sidewalls marginally connected to form the T-shaped bottom-opening, saidside walls being contoured to fit snugly and conformably around saidupper end portion, means formed integrally with the side wall of the capfor retentively engaging said upper end portion to prevent unauthorizedremoval of the cap from the post, said means having a vertical lengthsufficient to cover the first full stud irrespective of its distancefrom the upper surface, and a myriad of minute light reflective elementsbeing embedded in the outwardly presented surface of at least one of theside walls.

3. For use with T-shaped fence posts and similar T- shaped structuralmembers adapted to .extend upwardly from the ground and terminate in asubstantially free upper end portion, said T-shaped fence posts havingan upper surface and a series of studs spaced downwardly at equalintervals from the upper surface, the distance from the upper surface tothe first full stud varying between different T-shaped fence posts; aflexible resilient hollow cap having a downwardly presented T-shapedbottomopening and a closed top, said cap also having a plurality of sidewalls marginally connected to form the T-shaped bottom-opening and aninternal T-shaped cross section for fitting snugly and conformablyaround said upper end portion, said cap further having an outwardlyprojecting axially elongated chamber which opens inwardly to the hollowinterior of said cap for accommodating the studs and for retentivelyengaging said upper end portion to prevent unauthorized removal of thecap from the post, said axially elongated chamber having a verticallength sufficient to cover the first full stud irrespective of itsdistance from the upper surface, and a myriad of minute light refiectiveelements being embedded in the outwardly presented surface of at leastone of the side walls.

4. For use with T-shaped fence posts and similar T- shaped structuralmembers adapted to extend upwardly from the ground and terminate in asubstantially free upper end portion, said T-shaped fence posts havingan upper surface and -a series of studs spaced downwardly at equalintervals from the upper surface, the distance from the upper surface tothe first full stud varying between different T-shaped fence posts; aflexible resilient hollow cap having a downwardly presented T-shapedbottom-opening and a rclosed top, said cap also having a plurality ofside walls marginally connected to form the T- shaped bottom-opening anda reduced bottom portion having a T-shaped cross section, said sidewalls being contoured to fit snugly and conformably around said upperportion, said cap further having an outwardly projecting axiallyelongated chamber which opens inwardly to the hollow interior of saidcap, for accommodating the studs and for retentively engaging said upperend portion to prevent unauthorized removal of the cap from the post,said axially elongated chamber having a vertical length sufficient tocover the first full stud irrespective of its distance from the uppersurface, and a myriad of minute light reilective elements being embeddedin the outwardly presented surface of at least one of the side walls.

5. For use with T-shaped fence posts and similar structural membersadapted to extend upwardly from the ground and terminate in asubstantially free upper end portion, said T-shaped fence posts havingan upper surface and a seriesof studs spaced downwardly at equalintervals from the upper surface, the distance from the upper surface tothe rst full stud varying between different T-shaped fence posts, aflexible resilient hollow reflector having an outwardly presentedT-shaped opening, said reflector also having a plurality of side wallsmarginally connected to form said T-shaped opening, said side wallsbeing contoured to t snugly and conformably around said upper endportions, said Walls in the vicinity of said opening being adapted toembrace the post intermediate the studs whereby to prevent unauthorizedremoval of said reector from the post, said reflector further having anoutwardly projecting axially elongated chamber which opens inwardly tothe hollow interior of said reflector for accommodating the studs and amyriad of small catoptric beads partially embedded in the outwardlypresented surface of said resilient hollow reilector.

6. For use with fence posts and similar structural members adapted toextend upwardly from the ground and terminate in a substantially freeupper end portion having an irregular cross-sectional shape; a hollowcap formed of a resilient rubbery polymerized resin Which is a polyvinylplastisol, said cap having continuous side walls contoured to fit snuglyand conformably around said upper end portion, said cap also having adownwardly presented bottom opening and a closed top, means formedintegrally with said side walls for retentively engaging said upper endportion to prevent unauthorized removal of said cap from the post, and amyriad of small catoptric beads partially embedded in the outwardlypresented surface of said cap.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS OTHER REFERENCESIn re The Pollak Steel Co., October 19, 1961.

JEWELL H. PEDERSEN, Primary Examiner.

D. J. HOFFMAN, T. L. HUDSON,

Assistant Examiners.

1. FOR USE WITH T-SHAPED FENCE POSTS AND SIMILAR STRUCTURAL MIEMBERSADAPTED TO EXTEND UPWARDLY FROM THE GROUND AND TERMINATE IN ASUBSTANTIALLY FREE UPPER END PORTION, SAID T-SHAPED FENCE POSTS HAVINGAN UPPER SURFACE AND A SERIES OF STUDS SPACED DOWNWARDLY AT EQUALINTERVALS FROM THE UPPER SURFACE, THE DISTANCE FROM THE UPPER SURFACE TOTHE FIRST FULL STUD VASRYING BETWEEN DIFFERENT T-SHAPED FENCE POSTS; AFLEXIBLE RESILIENT HOLLOW CAP HAVING A DOWNWARLDY PRESENTED T-SHAPEDBOTTOM-OPENING SAID A CLOSED TOP, SASID CAP ALSO HAVING A PLURALITY OFSIDE WALLS MARGINALLY CONNECTED TO FORM THE T-SHAPED BOTTOM OPENING,SAID SIDE WALLS BEING CONTOURED TO FIT SNUGLY AND CONFORMABLY AROUNDSAID UPPER END PORTION, SAID CAP FUTHER HAVING AN OUTWARDLY PROJECTINGAXIALLY ELONGATED CHAMBER WHICH OPENS INWARDLY TO THE HOLLOW INTERIOR OFSAID CAP FOR ACCOMMODATINT THE STUDS AND FOR RETENTIVELY ENGAGING SAIDUPPER END PORTION TO PREVENT UNAUTHORIZED REMOVAL OF THE CAP FROM THEPOST , SAID AXIALLY ELONGATED CHAMBER HAVING A VERTICAL LENGTHSUFFICIENT TO COVER THE FIRST FULL STUD IRRESPECTIVE OF ITS DISTANCEFROM THE UPPER SURFACE, AND A MYRIAD OF MINUTE LIGHT REFLECTIVE ELEMENTSBEING EMBEDDED IN THE OUTWARDLY PRESENTED SURFACE OF AT LEAST ONE OF THESIDE WALLS.